When to stop restoring and buy a newer boat??

I recently bout a 1980 Hobie 18 and absolutly love it! The problem is that it is in pretty rough shape and needs quite a bit of work... Being an engineer/car guy I loive doing the work but at what time does it not make sense to keep putting money onto such an old boat when i could of had something newer for a little bit more? I also really like the look of the newer catamarans (no deck lip).. The H18 looks a little dated IMO..

Having never sailed an F18, how is it compared to the H18, is it much faster?

Yes it is faster. On the wind it's a little faster but off the wind it's a whole new animal. Pop the chute and watch it go. Coming from a H-18 to the Tiger it was a good learning curve. The square top main is a some getting used to.

Also the spin is a little intimidating till you get used to it. Your daggers are longer and let you point a little higher.

10 years on a H-18, 3 years on a Tiger I love the Tiger alot more.

_________________
Rich Vilvens
F-18 5150
[email protected]
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/f-185150sailing/

ask yourself how you'll use the boat and how much will it cost to renovate the H18? if you plan on a lot of racing then go for a Tiger as the H18 class is kind of small (at least here in the mid-atlantic).

if the hulls and major structural and connection pieces are sound and the sails are in decent shape, you'll be looking at a new tramp? new standing rigging (a must), new sheets and perhaps some sail repair.

maybe this will help:
I purchased a used '88 H18 3 years ago, it was originally my boat that I had sold 13 years earlier. The hulls, crossbars, mast and structural connections were all in great shape. I bought all new rigging, sheets and spent $200 having the sails gone over by a sailmaker. With all the little items I did to bring it up to my expectations I probably spent around $800 on the boat alone.
Granted this boat means quite a lot to me as it is 'my' boat brought back to life, but if you can quantify how much you'll wind up spending to get her in shape you'll have a good picture of whether its worth it or not.

Good luck

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Do you want the rational financial advice, or the labor of love advice? Do you want to race or just have a good time?

The 18 is no longer produced and later models are hard to come by, and there are advantages and disadvantages to an 18 and an F18, depending on what kind of sailor you are. The 18 is a very good recreational boat and the F18 is better for racing.

Advantages:
1. Bullet proof. The 18 is a strong boat with thick hulls which can handle being dragged across the beach and clumsy crew.
2. Forgiving. Mistakes seem to be absorbed by the boat rather than amplified.
3. Still a boat-load of fun compared to about 99% of the boats out there.
4. Very good availability of parts.

Disadvantages:
1. Older design which is a little slower than modern designs.
2. (Maybe hobie18rich can fill in the rest)

Some very good points have been made. The most important being what kind of sailor are you? Racer or Recreational? You need to decide that first everything else will follow. I am recreational sailor my H18 will not keep up with a F18 but its a dependable and inexpensive boat that offers everything I need. Good Luck!

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Floyd
00 Tiger
http://www.HobieFleet33.com
10 Mile Surfside, Texas
Join us on our Facebook group: Surfside Sailing

Thanks guys! Im purely a recreational sailor who enjoys open seas and downing a few cold ones, lol.

It's prob to late for me to be asking this question anyway.. I got my 18 for about a grand and so far have bought, epo's, new ceneterboards, all new rigging, new sheets, and trailer parts... I'm thinking of picking up some newer sails and tramp and can hopefully offset the cost by selling some of my used items. I'll prob be about $3500 deep once I get the boat up to my standards...

In retrospect I havent seen a tiger for sale for less then 8K... I'll prob stick with the H18 for a few more years..

You're doing the right thing.